Identification means for keys



p 7, 1965 c. J. EHMCKE 3,204,360

IDENTIFICATION MEANS FOR KEYS Filed March 12, 1962 FIG./. F-IG-Z.

INVENTOR, CAsPAR J. EHMCKE;

FI6.Q. F76. BY

ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,204,360 IDENTIFICATION MEANS FOR KEYSCaspar J. Ehmcke, 1112 N. La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles, Calif.

Filed Mar. 12, 1962, Ser. No. 178,918 '1 Claim. (Cl. 40-330) The presentinvention relates to a key identification mean whereby a key from aseries of keys may be readily located for a particular lock.

Quite often a person will carry a large number of keys on a key ring ora key container and as house keys and door keys generally are quitesimilar in appearance, often it is difiicult to locate the right key fora particular lock.

The present invention serves to identify a key for a particular lockboth by feeling with the fingers and by appearance. The invention giveseach key a distinguishing characteristic.

An object of the present invention is to provide a key identificationmeans characterized in that the said means has prominence, legibility,convenience and neatness.

A further object is to provide a key identification means which may beeasily applied to a key and which when applied does not absorb force onthe bow whereby the key bow may be gripped firmly.

Another object is an identification means for keys which will indicatethe particular key for a given lock such as a key for motel, hotel, doorof a house, a garage, automobile, etc.

A further object of the invention is to provide a key identificationmeans which is inexpensive in cost of manufacture, easily applied to thebow of a key, does not detract from the key appearance and which isgenerally superior to key identification means now known to theinventor.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of a key provided with identification meansembodying the invention;

FIGURE 2 is an edge elevation of the key shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary sectional view on the line 33 of FIGURE 1, andon an enlarged scale;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of one form of key identification meansshowing the two parts thereof; and,

FIGURES 5 to inclusive are illustrative of other forms of identificationmeans for a key.

Referring now to the drawing, I have shown in FIG- URE 1 one form of keyhaving a configuration of a type generally used for locks of the typewhich are employed in doors for a house, factory, motel and the like.Automobile keys are of a different configuration, as a rule, and forthat reason may be distinguished save and except that usually there arethree keys; to wit, for the ignition, glove compartment, and rearcompartment. Usually the automobile keys have the same appearance andare therefore, difficult to distinguish, often requiring that each keybe tried in a lock before the proper key is found.

The key of FIGURE 1 is purely illustrative and will apply to any type ofkey and in this respect the key includes a bow 1 at one end of a shankor stem 2, the shank being provided with wards 3 and usually with stops4 and 5 on the shank adjacent the bow for the purpose of limiting keyinsertion within the keyhole of a lock. The bow 1 is provided with ahole 6 whereby a chain such as shown at 7 in FIGURE 3 may be passedthrough the hole for securing a key. The chain 7 may hold or secure amultiple number of keys. So-called key containers are largely used byindividuals and the securing means in the key container may be passedthrough the hole 6. Unless the keys are arranged in a given sequence ororder which a person would have to remember, the keys, even if ofdifferent size, often are diflicult to find for a given lock.Accordingly, the present invention provides an identification meanswhich will distinguish a key for a given lock both by feel andappearance. Thus, in FIGURE 4 I have shown an identification meanshaving two parts 8 and 9. This identification means comprises anembossment, boss, or protuberance 8 provided with a shank 10 extendingfrom one side of the embossment for reception in the transverse bore 11of embossment 9. The means for securing together the two identificationmeans in the form of embossments 8 and 9 may take various forms and inFIGURE 4 the shank 10 is tubular in form, the hole therein communicatingwith hole 12 of the embossment whereby the shank 10 may be passedthrough the hole 6 of the key bow and be secured in the hole 11 ofembossment 9. The external surface of the shank 10 is screw threaded asshown at 13 and the wall bounding the hole 11 is screw threaded, asshown at 14, for reception of the screw threaded shank. As shown in FIG-URES 1 to 4 inclusive, the embossment or identification mean is H inform. In the present instance the H may be formed from a square orrectangular block having upper and lower recessed portions 15 and 16 andprovided with a backing wall 17 to which the shank 10 is secured. Thediametrically opposed indentations 15 and 16 facilitate firm tighteningof the members 8 and 9 on the key 1. The same construction would be usedfor the letter of embossment 9. Thus when the threads 13 of shank 10engage the threads 14, the embossments 8 and 9 are held against oppositesurfaces of the how 1, as shown in section in FIGURE 3. The hole 12 maybe reduced in diameter over the normal diameter of the hole 6 in thehow. As a rule the hole 12 will be of sufiicient diameter to accommodatea chain 7 or other key securing device. If not, it is within the purviewof my invention to enlarge the diameter of the hole in the bow of a key.By way of illustration the H might serve to indicate a house key such asto the front door lock. Obviously, the fingers when passed over theidentification means would immediately detect the H-shape formation andthereby distinguish the key from other keys on a key ring or chain. Ifthe key could be observed, then the H would be easily seen and the keyidentification determined. It is within the purview of my invention tophosphorize the identification means so that the identification meansmay be seen in the dark. Or the identification means may have a color.The thickness of the embossment can vary but should be sufiicient topermit the fingers to readily determine the nature thereof. In place ofusing the screw threaded shank 10, I may of course, use other means forsecuring the two parts of the identification means together on the bowof the key such as for instance a snap catch, rivet, or other means andthe embossment may be a plastic, metal, or other suitable and durablematerial. It is to be particularly noted that the embossments describeddo not absorb force on the bow of the key to the end that the bow of thekey may be gripped firmly by a person using the key. This type ofidentification means does not alter the key bow in the least byproviding extraneous means which is shaped to overlie the key bow or tofollow the outline of the key how.

The remaining figures show different forms of identification means andFIGURES 5 and 6 show the embossment in the form of an annulus. One partwould be provided with a screw threaded shank and the opposite partformed to receive the screw threaded shank. Such a device might be usedto indicate an office key as the embossment has the appearance of theletter O.

In FIGURES 7 and 8, the embossments have radial spokes on the frontfaces, as shown at 20 and such an identifying means may represent thekey to a spare tire lock, the embossment as before may have a screw Icarried by a police oflicer to indicate a handcufif lock or otherdevice.

In FIGURE 10 the embossment 30 is of diamond shape of-which there aretwo embossments connected together in a manner similar to that shown inFIGURE 4. The diamond embossment would indicate to a baseball player thekey to a locker or other device.

The principle of my invention is to provide an identification meansattached through the hole of the bow of a key which indicates the keypurpose both by appearance and by feel.

The operation, uses and advantages of my invention are undoubtedly clearfrom the description before given as to the character of theidentification means, its method of securement to the bow of a key andthe function to be performed thereby. As previously stated, theembossments need not be of great thickness but of a thickness sufficientto readily show the character of the embossment either by feel or sight,and which does not modify the key structure.

I claim:

Improvements in identification means for the bow of a generally flatkey, the bow having a hole therethrough, comprising: a pair of similarembossments each having a through aperture and characteristicsidentifiable by feel and by appearance, one embossment provided with atubular externally threaded shank extending from the inner surface ofthe embossment for passage through the hole of the key bow, the secondembossment having its aperture provided with internal screw threads forreceiving the screw threaded shank whereby the two embossments may besecured together with the key bow therebetween, the outer margin of eachembossment lying entirely within the margin of the key and eachembossment having diametrically opposed indentations extending to theedge of the embossment to facilitate firm tightening of the embossmentson the key.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTSv 1,407,085 2/22Rau 402.2 1,461,565 7/23 Velte 40--1.6 2,173,752 9/39 Carrington 40-3302,465,605 3/49 Povich 402 2,529,815 11/50 Rothe 40330 JEROME SCHNALL,Primary Examiner.

E. V. BENHAM, Examiner.

